


Family Foundations

by nazgularepeopletoo, No_Day_But_Today



Series: Single Parent AUs [8]
Category: Westworld (TV)
Genre: F/M, Hector Has Paternal Instincts, Hector Is A Great Dad, Her Daughters Name Is Anna Because Fuck Episode 6, Look At Him And Tell Me Im Wrong, Single Parent AU, Timelines Can Go To Hell, sue me
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-28
Updated: 2018-05-28
Packaged: 2019-05-14 20:39:55
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,058
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14776878
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/nazgularepeopletoo/pseuds/nazgularepeopletoo, https://archiveofourown.org/users/No_Day_But_Today/pseuds/No_Day_But_Today
Summary: Prompt: I'm babysitting your kid and they're suddenly crying because they miss their mom or dad and wow okay what do I do?------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------"Maeve hadn’t been gone that long before her daughter woke up. That was fine, Hector hadn’t expected her to be awake so soon but he would be able to deal with that. Probably."





	Family Foundations

Maeve hadn’t been gone that long before her daughter woke up. That was fine, Hector hadn’t expected her to be awake so soon but he would be able to deal with that. Probably. He went to the small kitchen that was attached to Maeve’s rooms, pouring a glass of water for Anna and a glass of whisky for himself. Maeve never said he couldn’t drink while taking care of her daughter, and children were not his forte. 

When he returned to the table, Anna was sitting there quietly, having pulled a book out from a box under her bed. Hector paused a moment. She could read? He didn’t even know that Maeve could read, though it made sense that she could, he supposed. Anna looked up when he set the glass down in front of her. 

“Thank you, Mr. Escaton.” He grinned, sitting on the other side of the table. 

“You can call me Hector, little lady.” Anna giggled at the endearment, smiling a little.

“Alright.” After taking a sip of water, she went back to reading. 

* * *

The house was quiet for a while after that, Hector sipping at his drink and Anna reading. It was sunny outside, a gentle breeze blowing through the dry grass that surrounded the house. It really was a serene little set up, a one room cabin in the middle of a field, a small pasture for a horse and a goat, and nearly endless fields. The forest behind the house was a ways away, meaning it was generally, relatively safe from attack, though according to Maeve, the Ghost Nation tended to be a problem. He would have to have a word with them if they ever came calling on the house again.

When he finished his drink, Hector stood, moving to the window and staring out into the distance. He didn’t notice Anna coming up beside him until she leaned on the sill, trying to follow his line of sight. He smiled, putting a gentle hand on her shoulder.

“Do you know how to ride?” He gestured out the window to the horse. There was a saddle hanging on the wall, but he didn’t know if it had ever been used since… Maeve’s husband died. She must have had a husband, right? At one time, in the past. He didn’t need to think about that. Anna shook her head, but her face lit up. 

“Mama never lets me, she thinks I’ll get hurt. He helps us plow the field but I’ve never learned to ride. Could you teach me?” Hector nodded, still a little surprised at how well she had taken to the bandit. He hulled the saddle off the hook and threw it over his shoulder. 

“Let us go, chequita.” 

Anna was a quick study, Hector found. In no time at all he was watching her trot around the pasture. He had never seen so much life and happiness in a person before, and… he could honestly get used to that. Before he knew it, she was urging the horse to go faster, toward the sweeping hills away from the house. 

“Be careful, mija!” He chased after them at a jog, watching them go over the crest of a hill. Within seconds he heard screams, and Anna came bolting back over the hill. Hector already had his gun drawn, bolting towards the crest of the hill. Before Anna even reached him a group of men dressed in grey came into view. Confederados. This was not ideal. 

A shot rang out, whizzing by Hector’s ear. He dropped to his knee, taking stock of the situation. There was only five of them. He had six bullets. In seconds, the Confederados were dead. He took a breath of relief, before remembering. Anna. 

He was up on his feet, running back to the house. Luckily, Anna was alright, though she was crying. She was still on the horse, so he pulled her off, holding her close and murmuring calming words. 

“I’ve got you, okay? You do not have to be afraid anymore. I am here.” Anna clung to him, arms wound tight around his neck, crying with heaving sobs. 

“I w-want my mama. The bad men… it was the bad men…” Hector carried her inside, running a gloved hand down her head, trying his best to calm her.

“Do not worry, mija, they will not hurt you again. I promise.”

“How can you promise?” Anna pulled away just enough so that Hector could see her tear stained face. He reached up and wiped an errant tear away.

“Because they are dead. And I will make sure no others come to harm you. I made a promise to your mother, and now I am making a promise to you. You will be safe.” She almost smiled, lunging back down to hug him, sniffling softly.

“Thank you, Mr. Hector.”

* * *

 

 

Maeve returned when the sun was setting, passing through the field where the Confederados lay dead. When she saw them, she ran, panic flooding through her. After all they had been through, it could not end like this, Not now, not after she had finally found herself a family. She barely even noticed the saddle that was hanging on the rickety fence around the pasture. 

Bursting through the door, she stopped, glancing around frantically. What she saw warmed her heart. Hector was stretched out asleep on the bed, Anna curled up next to him reading aloud. Anna looked up a moment after the door slammed, and smiled, carefully slipping off the bed and running across the room to jump into her mother's arms. 

It took another hour for Hector to wake up, and when he did, he panicked. Anna was gone. 

“Mija??” He leaped off the bed, reaching blindly for his gun on the bed side table. He froze when he heard a high giggle. It was soon joined by a lower, more full laugh. She was safe then, and Maeve was back. Pulling himself together, he drew up an almost pout and moved over to the table to join the two. Maeve reached out and took his hand, pulling him down into the chair next to him.

“Thank you, Hector.” She said quietly, squeezing the hand still held in hers. He nodded, offering a small smile in return. He had never felt so happy in his life.

**Author's Note:**

> Hector is a great dad, the writers are just mean


End file.
